Well I'm so glad you brought this book back and I -- I do want it. To go back to the beginning. You had the intuition. Should certain that he had the conviction. That this story was -- lead -- massive consequences. I would say you are right the first time in tuition I was talking to William Shawn editor of The New -- justly legendary. Editor of The New Yorker and reasonable what do you sinking your brain next and so I just smell that we -- we might well be changing by its presence in presence was -- a year. Those are free thought in many ways and through his. It was not almost but I just it just my instinct and so we agreed I would keep a journal -- diary. But I -- think difference I was going to report. Events and describe events and then give my reflections of -- And one of the most -- she thinks about that time is that it was obviously decades. Before Twitter. Oh my god -- you could actually report. Target of more cable. We have the morning papers. We hand -- papers some radio bulletins. So there's a lot of word of mouth -- weren't getting totally jumbled as we would not even have time to think. And so we're all talking to each other -- and want something and then go back and reflect on it would have been. -- almost impossible to sort things out even with cable not to mention Twitter when you look back economy. You feel this in your journal people were and you were astonished by -- we're learning. Every single day. And it seems like now you really went from being people being astonished to what was happening to people assuming it stings like that are happening -- -- -- -- -- watching. I can't think those that happen I did any piece of for the New York review's web site I think -- Remember when viewers these so called you know scandals and the IRS and then Ghazi. And me being subpoenaed by the justice service and hours -- it's warranted its next and I said no it's not. Saying sending those. Crises of Sino series -- thought they work. It's not then why that there was serious pattern that has a part of -- point people assume -- that's -- constantly just -- another streak. That's why we this -- out there so people can understand what Watergate was what impeachment is and should be -- should not be. There's that kind of hyper. Stuff that goes on night. Look at this term and yeah that was put onions and and I hate and I refuse to attach -- to anything because Watergate it was the building. It -- the first. Known breaking and let's put it that way. Com. Stands by itself. And it's not back breaking the pattern in practice across the board -- C Ellsberg break it is the present United States saying -- his -- -- -- -- -- Because he sought to -- and then I had some pieces of the Pentagon papers. In some files. And on the papers -- -- files but the -- estates was suggesting. Nixon was always telling people to get to -- that Nixon was more worried about the Ellsberg psychiatrists. Breaking -- was about the Watergate break. And he and Haldeman started talking about that. Three days after the burglars were caught. In the Watergate was -- second time in their fourth attempt to get it and they were really. And I mean they just couldn't get any sanctioning their stumble bombs they messed up everything but still. Thank god in Iowa and -- Nixon and Haldeman -- -- that while those it's those other things we have to worry about. I remember the eighteen and a half minute. Take the gap the gap it was that conversation. That was -- and is pretty clear Nixon -- You believe that yes I believe that an all points to when -- group went I went to -- trials. And -- point to where -- and traffic on these tapes in the ended up at Camp David. And they tried to pin -- on the present president secretary Rose Mary Woods isn't she put her foot on a panelist. I remember that she was -- that he couldn't but the -- came off the -- just destroyed the tapes. It's a good question you know I think one of the real reasons was he wanted to -- his biography on another autobiographies -- written one called six crises which -- in on -- a look at your life I think. But he was gonna write another one. And so it just as he didn't want to destroy the tapes I believe for that reason. As he remembered his. Frankly rather -- each farewell speech to the staff and trying summit tenure at the same time one of his aides were stealing presidential documents. That didn't belong to him they belong to the archives to send them out to San Clemente so that he could write his autobiography. I think -- want to admit that he had done anything wrong. But the interesting thing to many fascinating. Is not only bringing back this period in seeing what it was like it was scary it was funny it was scary but the Nixon afterward. After he went back dissent on many people don't know much about what happened -- you ran a lot about that and tell us about operation wizard. Well Nixon -- and so many -- I really give him. Credit for this emailing instant there's a wonderful monologues -- have in this afterward that I am not 101000. Words new. That I added to the book disable what then happened and also my final reflections. So. He decided. -- -- -- -- show on. I -- going to be your respectable person again on he wanted to be -- -- he wanted to be. Expect respect it really do that in doing our. System works or worked -- -- to -- foreign policy expert and US gets -- staff. Very serious stuff and he should be commended for opening do China and detente with Russia. And so he drew up a plan which is an interest earning less of a code names of this was code name wizard. And it was a step by step plan they couldn't planned and all of steps he would take. To regain respectability. By his standards he -- -- -- his funeral he -- authorities funeral. There was an existing precedent for ex president's. Henry Kissinger Bob dog crying and he would seem straight through the hypocrisy of it but he wouldn't just loved it.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

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